1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to simulating moving lights using nonmoving lights.
2. Related Art
In the art of lighted displays, it is often desired to present a cartoon or picture which gives an impression of motion. When the display itself is stationary (and the lights in the display are themselves stationary), this poses a problem because the impression of motion is necessarily an illusion, and it can be difficult to present an adequate illusion. This problem can be acute where it is desired to give the impression of smooth motion, and particularly when using only a relatively inexpensive display having only a few lights.
One method which is known in the art is to present a sequence of cartoons or pictures, each of which represents a separate still picture in a moving sequence. For example, a moving arrow can be simulated using several still pictures of an arrow. While this method can achieve the illusion of motion, the impression which is given will often be jerky or rough, particularly with a relatively inexpensive display, due to the granular limitation of having only a few lights per foot.
The following patents are examples of the art:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,722, "Method And Apparatus For Forming Spatial Light Patterns", issued Jun. 5, 1973, in the name of inventor Meyer J. Scharlack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,018, "Lighted Ornamental Devices", issued Jul. 10, 1979, in the name of inventors James B. Briggs, et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,079, "Article Of Wearing Apparel", issued Oct. 28, 1980, in the name of inventor Stephen R. Heminover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,177, "Bicycle Safety Light", issued Aug. 22, 1989, in the name of inventors John B. Simms, et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,568, "Traffic Police Baton With Means To Indicate The Direction In The Night", issued Jan. 14, 1992, in the name of inventors Lu J. Dong, et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,329, "Lighting Attachments For In-Line Roller or Blade Skates", issued Jul. 5, 1994, in the name of inventor David L. Stiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,675, "Illuminated Helmet", issued May 16, 1995, in the name of inventor Robert J. DeBeaux.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,488, "Illuminated Article of Apparel", issued Aug. 1, 1995, in the name of inventor Larry Dion, and assigned to LaMi Products, Inc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,612, "Bicycle Rear Lighting System", issued Oct. 10, 1995, in the name of inventor Scot Carter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,027, "LED Display For Protective Helmet And Helmet Containing Same", issued Aug. 6, 1996, in the name of inventor Anthony Orsano.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method and system for providing an illusion of relatively smooth motion in a lighted display, with only a relatively rough granularity and only a relatively small number of lights. This advantage is achieved in an embodiment of the invention in which much smaller degrees of motion are simulated by simulating lights which appear to be partly on and partly off.